How to fell a baobab tree, Mozambique
Tragic that this ancient baobab should be felled and at what point did it give way….look closely:
World Rhino Day 22 Sept – Tweet #iam4rhinos
World Rhino Day and 618 rhinos have been killed in South Africa so far this year. Tweet #iam4rhinos and join the attempt to reach a million tweets in support of rhinos.
Kruger’s Skukuza Airport Re-opening for flights from 1 March 2014
I love the tiny Skukuza Airport in Kruger National Park; you leave bustling Johannesburg (and soon direct from Cape Town) and arrive in the African bush ready to go on a game drive, or to take another hop in a little plane to your private game lodge perhaps 15 minutes by air. I can’t remember...
Elephant straddles car
I’m not sure where or when this happened – I saw it on Facebook – but it puts the size of an elephant into perspective. Take a look at another of our Animal Antics blog post of an enormous elephant trashing a campsite and squashing a car with a rooftop tent. The most scary moments...
Review of Aquila Private Game Reserve nr Cape Town
Only 2-hours drive from Cape Town, once you go through the gates of Aquila you are transported into a wonderful world of their own making – like stepping into a safari film set, which is very real for the time you are in it. If you go NOW (August/Sept 2013) you are likely to see...
Can you spot the leopard?
There REALLY is a leopard in this picture – can you see it? Scroll down for the answer once you’ve tried really hard. Did you know….. a leopard’s spots form a unique pattern, something like a fingerprint leopards can pull dead prey weighing up to 50kg up into a tree, away from predators...
New Mara Plains Camp, Kenya
July 2013 the new Mara Plains Camp in the portfolio of Great Plains Conservation became the latest in bespoke safari accommodation and experiences. The brand new Mara Plains Camp adopts many of the values and low impact design ethics of their Botswana Zarafa Camp, but with an East Africa twist. It is also one of the...
HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY MADIBA: How I got to kiss Mandela
Happy 95th Birthday to the most precious man on earth! “Give us a kiss!” I whispered in his ear – and he did! It was 1999 – Mandela was a sprightly 81. I was campaigning to raise funds for a poor school near Cape Town that received no state money because it was built on...
Phinda Game Reserve
Phinda reaches the pinnacle of excellence when it comes to guiding. The &Beyond company have always considered this a priority (also under its previous name CCAfrica) and I can’t fault it. Good guiding is so often lacking, so it’s such a pleasure to get guides that not only know their stuff (anyone can regurgitate facts)...
One Year Lived – Life’s a Journey
Life’s a Journey – these are words that epitomise my thoughts on life and were used by a young American man, Adam Shepard, when describing his attitude to life. On his agenda was a journey around the world. It’s nothing new, but he did it with consciousness and a message that he shared in his book ‘One Year Lived’...
Swaziland Safari
I wanted to share this beautiful lion I encountered at Hlane Game Reserve in Swaziland. Take a look at his expression – he’s cross! He took offence at the maintenance guys on the back of a truck and was stalking them. We, on the other hand, were in a safari vehicle with netted sides, so the lion didn’t see...
Safari Tart on KZN & Swaziland Safari Road Trip
As you read this, I’m on the Ultimate Safari Road Trip in KwaZulu Natal and Swaziland. Both these areas are strongly influenced by their cultures; the proud and beautiful Zulu’s of KZN and the gentle Swazi Kingdom full of tradition and tribal customs. You’ll be able to read my reviews of reserves and accommodation very...